Jeanne L'Strange Cappel (May 10, 1873 – September 27, 1949), also known as Jennie Strange Rolson, Wa-be-no O-pee-chee, and Wabena Opechee, was an American writer, educator, and clubwoman, author of ''Chippewa Tales'' (1928).

Early life

Jeanne Marie Strange was born in

Dundas, Minnesota Dundas ( ) is a city in Rice County, Minnesota, Rice County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,712 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Dundas is bordered by the city of Northfield, Minnesota, Northfield. History Dundas ...

, the daughter of Edward Strange (1842–1908) and Laura (or Lauraette) Sargent Strange (1846–1937). She was described as being a member of the Chippewa (

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

) people, and recalled a Chippewa grandmother in her presentations. She graduated from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

Career

Cappel was a physical education teacher and playground director in Los Angeles. She wrote two volumes of ''Chippewa Tales'' (1928, 1930), retellings of traditional stories, and ''The Mother You Gave Me'' (1941), a novel, with Beatrice Phillips Cole. She was a founding member and president of the American Indian Woman's History and Art Club, and wrote, directed, and acted in a play, ''Out of the Past'', performed by the club in 1933. The club required active members to have Indian ancestry. Cappel gave lectures on American Indian lore to community groups and at a

Campfire Girls Camp Fire, formerly Camp Fire USA and originally Camp Fire Girls of America, is a co-ed youth development organization. Camp Fire was the first nonsectarian, multicultural organization for girls in America. It is now gender-inclusive, and its p ...

camp, sometimes in costume, and sometimes with her son to accompany her. "The Indian tales deal so much with things in nature," she explained of her work. "They not only give a practical suggestion that is real education for the child mind, but they also afford the imagination a delightful impetus." Cappel was also active with the Dickens Fellowship, and the Los Angeles branch of the

National League of American Pen Women The National League of American Pen Women, Inc. (NLAPW) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) membership organization for women. History The first meeting of the League of American Pen Women was organized in 1897 by Marian Longfellow O'Donoghue, a wri ...

. She was reported to be "the first woman of her ancestry to become a

Daughter of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-prof ...

Personal life

Jennie Strange married Richard O. Rolson in 1891; they had a son, Robert Earl Rolson (1893–1986), and moved to California, where they divorced. She married Albert Cappel in 1916, in Los Angeles. He died in 1937. She lived in

Laguna Beach Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Located in Southern California along the Pacific Ocean, this seaside resort city has a mild year-round climate, scenic coves, and environ ...

in her later years, and died in 1949, aged 76 years, in Los Angeles. Her gravesite is in

Inglewood Park Cemetery Inglewood Park Cemetery, in Inglewood, California, was founded in 1905. A number of notable people, including entertainment and sports personalities, have been interred or entombed there. History The proposed establishment of "the larges ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cappel, Jeanne L'Strange 1873 births 1949 deaths People from Rice County, Minnesota Ojibwe culture Clubwomen People from Boyle Heights, Los Angeles American educators Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery University of Southern California alumni 20th-century American women writers Writers from Minnesota